Are You a Handwriter or a Typer?

Handwriting is like making love; typing, like having sex. It’s essentially the same enjoyable activity, but the approach is slightly different.

When writing my story, I am both a handwriter and a typer. I handwrite first drafts, character sketches, and scenes. I also brainstorm ideas on paper. I type everything else.

I handwrite early in the morning when birds are chirping, and late at night, when owls are hooting. I dislike to begin or end my day in front of my laptop screen because it tires my eyes and clouds my head.

On typing

Typing is fast, easy, and convenient. The sensation of my fingertips pressing on the keys is glorious, almost like touching something round and soft and warm and milky… But sometimes typing feels hasty, like I am writing too fast more words than I should write. The impulse to press enter, break the paragraph, and move on to the next, without actually finishing the current, is strong, and sometimes maddening.

Typing brings about a sense of urgency, a desire to finish everything and do it fast. When I have a word count to reach, and time is pressing, that is good. But when I struggle to put my thoughts in order and say exactly what I mean, it’s not.

On handwriting

Handwriting is slow, beautiful, and graceful. When I handwrite I think on paper. My handwriting is intelligible, rounded and curvy like a girl’s, so reading it later is not a problem. But sometimes handwriting is too slow. When I am a brimming with ideas, I feel the pen is holding me back.

The words do not write themselves fast enough, and I have to queue ideas, and my thumb begins to hurt, and I fret on my chair because ideas spark faster than they can be queued, and sometimes the terrible happens, and one of the queued ideas vanishes like a pretty girl in the night and I try to catch her and to hold her, to make her stay a little longer, but she is already gone and I am only groping at thin air… Heartbrake. Something lost that will never return. Paper, pen, you’ve let me down, so I will let you down. Back to typing.

Advantages of handwriting

A slow, graceful, artistic process

Lets me think on paper

Helps me say almost what I mean

Encourages me to introspect

Does not tire my eyes like a laptop screen does

Makes me think more about the details

Advantages of typing

A fast and impetuous process

Capable of generating spontaneous ideas

Good for playing with language

Lets me quickly change and rearrange words

Tires my hands less than handwriting does

Good for the trees

On transcribing…

I often have to transcribe what I have handwritten because all my story files are in an online document format, which makes storage and especially rewriting and editing more convenient. So sometimes even if I want to handwrite, I am forced to type, because I do not have the time to transcribe. I try to handwrite as much as I can though.

In the end…

Good thing there’s no need to choose between handwriting and typing! One can have them both. It’s the same activity, only the approach is different…

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Published by Vincent Mars

I write as a way of life: books, blogs, articles, almost-poems. I'm a freelancer, a vegetarian, and I listen to Leonard Cohen and enjoy French films. I'm probably dying, but then so are you, so shouldn't we make the most of our time? Reach out to me and let's make friends.
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Handwriting an idea definitely feels more intimate, more accomplishing. it is also definitely important when out and about, to have a way to be able to put and an idea down somewhere before you lose the thought in the abyss of the mind. I’ve got my own small notebook and pen for sketches and ideas and can use a note app on my phone as a last resort.

I see now this discussion of the Neo2… Your analogies of typewriting versus handwriting are interesting. I’d never thought of them in this way. I used to be a terrible typist and thus preferred handwriting things. Since I’ve gotten faster, though, I am far more efficient typing than writing by hand. I still love hand-written letters, though. 😉

I have likened pen-to-paper as an intimate experience for some time now, but it is interesting to think of finger-to-keyboard as this primal body-thrashing — anyone can do it, but few do it well. It serves a purpose, and has taken much of the prerequisite skill set out of writing. The greats wrote by hand, and I would put the brilliance of all hand-written authors over those — even the greats — who have used typewriters a computers.

I have been writing more on paper — good paper, too — and am far less prone to distraction. No music, no social media, no websites, just a pencil, good paper, and the synchronous relationship between my mind and my hand.

Handwriting is indeed more intimate than typing. I wonder whether Shakespeare would have been better if he had a typewriter. He would have probably made good use of it as an instrument of smashing heads at the tavern.

I like you comments, Andreas Mortimer. One comment from you is worth at least 10 likes.

I used to write all my stories by hand. I had notebooks upon notebooks filled with them. Then I started typing and I realised that, hey, ideas somehow flow better when I’m typing. I don’t have to stop and think like I do when I’m writing by hand. I don’t have to scratch out and erase. It’s all so simple.

These days I mostly type, but I do write by hand when I’m plotting or jotting down ideas. I just can’t give up pretty notebooks!

I have always written my first two drafts in long hand. Of course the last thing I wrote was 5 years ago, but still. Eventually everything gets typed up on the computer.

It seems my first draft must always be written in longhand. Almost a free form writing. I would just put pen to paper and start to write, the words flowing out of my mind, down my arm to my hand to the pen to the paper. Sometimes flowing so fast my hand can barely keep up.

I am developing a lot of trouble with my thumbs these days, so I’ve had to try to switch to typing only. But,I find it difficult to type my first draft.

So very well put! But for me, I have to admit, the laptop has killed the handwriting. There’s something about the white blank screen that demands to be taken seriously…the keys are caressed as I think. ‘Delete’ makes everything neat and clean again. My scrawl, on the other hand, is now illegible, sloppy, spells words wrong and misses out words altogether. There is absolutely no romance left in that (except when it comes to gift cards, but then again, I have to write a draft first) 🙂

The moment I began to write on a computer, I felt so much freer. My mind flows and attempts to edit just as fast when I write by hand, but then I can’t keep up with it. The paper gets messy and my handwriting gets nearly unintelligible. When I’m out, I jot down ideas and actually pray that pages and pages of text don’t come to me, because the transcribing takes so long and I want to get down to brass tacks. I think if I had good handwriting, as you do, I might feel a little differently.

That being said, I do love the look and feel of paper, especially handmade kinds with things like flower petals captured in it.

Before all this computer nonsense, and I was about 7 years old, I started to keep journals of course written longhand. I have a bump on my middle finger to prove how much I used to write! But as I became a teen, I started to blog rather than handwrite. I like both in different ways, like you said. But I think it’s still important to keep a more personal journal in scribbly cursive, just to get back to that old writer’s voice inside our heads. Great post!

Very nice analogy there, but I will chuckle as I write: More men know how to write well, than do those who know how to make love.

Whether it be writing or typing, my thoughts usually flow just as obstructed as ever; for a complicated mind, neither is ever easy. However, with swift fingers, typing is less painful when it comes to stretches of time spanning many series of thought.

I only write with pen when I’m away from home. I bring my notebook to scribble fragments and thoughts– ideas for what to write or ways to improve my work in progress– but I never write for real on paper. However, before I call anything “done” I must print it up to see it on the page. Invariably, the paper inspires me and I always make copious marks and notes with my pen before I open my laptop again. So I agree, the ink-on-paper thing cannot be replaced.

To conclude, Anna likes the trees maybe without actually liking them, and the trees like Anna in return. Everyone likes Anna because Anna is likable. Despite the fact that Anna has not yet sent me her treatise on the existence of ant heaven, I like Anna too and I understand she is busy because she had children to raise. That is a Herculanean endeavor.

Anna, I wonder, are your children much like you? Exceedingly proper, delightfully odd, dizzy, glorious, graceful wordsmiths? Will you make writers out of them? Will they grow up to love crows? Do they already wear hats?

VM–
About your ants, the best I can do is tell you you’ll be fine. If I start writing treatises about ant heaven, I will be writing your stories, not mine. In the last week, I have saved four spiders but I also vacuumed the beams, which surely killed several more, and I did not bat an eye. Your doppelgänger poses a realistic counterpoint to your romantic stance.

As a visual artist all of my journal and writing entries are handwritten and drawn… as a poet also they are handwritten… I meditate on my ideas first thing in the morning before anything from the day distracts me and write them down whilst still in bed – before anything is the key for me 🙂 It has not always been this luxurious, mind you!

Although I don’t write as much as I used to, I had a few attempts at writing my own novels. I often didn’t get past thirty pages, but I found typing easier than handwriting. However, when it comes to more personal journals, I feel that handwriting adds more character to the text. It’s hard to choose one method of writing over the other. Good post! 🙂

I tried, but I think I’ll concentrate more on my artwork for now, and return to writing later in life. I’ve sent you a copy of the book I started to write so far. Although I prefer to create visual art to writing, I am very interested in the written word as a method of expression, and still very impressed by the artistic way you weave sentences together in your stories. I look forward to reading your novel when it comes out! 🙂

Interesting post. I handwrite first drafts, in a notebook, on one side only. I usually got to typing my third drafts. Unfortunately, I do not have beautiful handwriting, but instead an frantic scribbling, trying hard for my hand to keep up with my thoughts. I just feel closer to the story, like it’s flowing through the pen.

I am trying to write again, and am working on re-writing my novel. This time, because of a growing disability in my hands I have started typing my new first draft. Alas, I have become stymied. Don’t know if its because I tried typing it?

Reblogged this on The Pressing Pen and commented:
Something that didn’t need to be said, yet it is said so well I can’t help but re-blog it. I especially appreciate the comment: “The impulse to press enter,.. and move on to the next, without actually finishing the current, is strong, and sometimes maddening.”

the pen and paper is a must to organize thoughts. free typing w/o an outline, the process of writing becomes a laborious day of editing. I refuse to buy ink cartridges for my printer as I they would surely waste a small fortune over a year. See I have 2 “I” in the last sentence/fragment… 🙂

Although I think everyone should learn to write by hand and do it well, I think typing is a great way for me to write. It saves me time and energy by recopying everything I’ve written from notebook to computer, and besides, it’s more environmental.

I hate to say that I’ve come to a point where I can’t really write a book on paper. I have to type it just to keep up with the visual in my head as a transcribe a story into something tangible and readable.

But I still keep a journal, and I agree with the intimacy of hand written work. There is a sense of freedom and artistic liberty with pen on paper that a stark white document on a screen lacks. And the need to put thought into your words before striking the paper brings out a deeper, more intimate voice like you said in this blog.

My first newspaper job involved a Smith-Corona and white out. Today I might outline on paper, but then it’s on to my laptop. I never look at a real typewriter that I don’t think of ripping out a sheet, tossing it in the can and starting over with 20 minutes to go until paste-up. (This is ancient history, I know).

I write in cursive still. Well it’s a mixture between print and cursive really. But there’s something satisfying about typing out something without any pauses or messing up on a computer. Maybe I just like the way my keyboard sounds.

My brain moves at the speed of light, my hands move at the speed of…hands. Typing at 100 words a minute barely does justice to the flow of my thoughts.

Handwriting has been segregated to little flash notes on Post-Its that look like a serial killer or deranged pharmacist was attempting to make a grocery list in the last moments of a painful arsenic death. Needless to say, relatives get few holiday cards anymore. They might think it was a ransom note.

This is not answering your question; just wanted to say that when I “handwrite” I write with a fountain pen, just a cheap one. I don’t know how to tell this but if I had to put it in terms of something that most of us have experienced, I would say the feeling of writing words in elegant cursive with a fountain pen, with the ink watery, and the blue blushing, is like a nice head massage :D. At times I am hand-writing just for the sake of that feel.

I have this daily struggle and I am be no means a writer by profession. The respect for technology and the green aspect of saving paper is very appealing to me. But I still find myself going to my routes each day and needing to write things down physically with a pen and paper to keep myself organized. Even though there’s so many great devices and programs to keep you organized, pen and paper still does it for me.

You’re writing is very eloquent. I enjoyed the illusions you created in my head. I hope to enjoy reading more of your posts.

I handwrite in my journal; it forces me to slow my thoughts down (my thoughts aren’t tremendously deep, but they’re wiggly). Beyond that, I type because I know I’ll need more than one draft to get things right, which is all the time. Great post – and congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!

Handwriting isn’t an endangered art, and I think writers depend more on scribbling to generate and record spontaneous ideas more than when you’re typing. Typing isn’t sexy, it’s serious business. The notebook is personal, that why it’s everywhere your laptop isn’t, if you’re a writer, and it’s even beside your laptop, often with some of its friends. Typewrter or handbook isn’t the place where the idea originates, they only offer storage. But thanks for reminding us what they’re for. Cheers.

Transitioned from hand writing to digital keyboard in 2006 while transitioning from film to digital camera. Publishers don’t look at hand writing nor do they scan photos. The transition took all of five years and is still not comfortable. Note books still accumulate with handwritten vignettes for transcription.
The keyboard is now my rubber grip ball point and my remote hard drive my note book. Sad but inevitable if you go commercial. Sad as the transition from film to digital.
The keyboard was at first an obstacle, a barrier between the story and the paper but now it is becoming a tool far more useful than the pen, just as the digital camera, once befriended, opened a world of new tools. After all, pen or keyboard, they are just tools.
Thanks for your great post and the comments it provoked.

First, Congratulations on FP!!
I compose at the computer. The fingers simply make the words appear without a bother.
But, I confess to an almost obscene affair with leather bound journals, fountain pens, slick fresh pads of paper and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils. Wish I could write by hand, I’m sure it would be lovely.

How cool–a 21st century renaissance man. A hipster Romantic. I only write by hand when an idea or line hits me and I must write it before I lose it, but generally write on laptop because it’s easier. BTW, computers aren’t really green. They add to garbage pile up (in countries where masses of people of color live in poverty), have components that are toxic to the environment, and require energy which needs to be generated, which requires energy, which devours limited resources. It’s a myth that computers are green. They are convenient and fun and wonderful, but far from green.

I can’t stand to write by hand. I type about 115 words per minute, hand writing as a process takes so long, my brain gets too far ahead of the pen.
My co-author, on the other hand, loves to hand-write. She likes the feel of the pen and the slow, deliberate thoughtfulness if the process.
I think it’s why we work well together.

I’ve been typing to write for quite a long time now. I used to write a handwritten journal and sometimes like jotting down ideas. But I primarily type everything, mostly because I feel it keeps up with the pace of my brain more. When I’m on, I’m on: everything flows out at a breakneck pace and my fingers just need to be able to keep up. If I’m constantly laboring over a word while handwriting, I’ll literally daydream my way out and completely forget what I was saying. I like handwriting for outlines and notes, but actually writing is typed 99% of the time.

When I read your title of “handwritting” I immediatly thought of penmanship. Cursive does not exist anymore…except when signing checks. I remember when cursive was taught in school. Sadly, I received a grade of “unsatisfactory” When my mother questioned me about the grade I told her “mom those are fancy letters.”

I love writing in cursive with a nice fountain pen. Unfortunately, typing is so much more practical and convenient that I resort to it for longer pieces. But I still take all my classroom notes with pen and paper.

YES. I completely agree with this. My pieces feel more… honest, personal, REAL when they’re handwritten, but my mind tends to work a lot faster than my hand can write. I have attempted voice recognition software (the free version, so it may not be true in a paid version), but found that it couldn’t keep up with what I wanted to say – and my mouth couldn’t think of the words my brain wanted to put on paper. C’est la vie – I will continue to do the combination of handwriting and typing.
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!

I do basically what you do, but for different reasons. I hand write my thoughts, first. What do I think about the new section? What am I hoping to accomplish? It is the freedom in the notebook page, to be able to doodle WHEREVER I WANT. To draw arrows everywhere, to cross things out. To date comments, to track my journey.

What exactly, do I type then? My actual works. Why? The god of writing called spell-check. Also, it is neater, faster, easier to edit, and cleaner. It is professional. It is serious. It transmits authority.

Since year 2001, I have become a typewriter instead of hand writer. I use my computer to do most of the communications with my customers, venders, friends, professors, and classmates. If you see my handwriting now, you will be surprised because they are very ugly.

I’m torn between both, just like you. Handwriting is great when I need to think, reflect and write. Typing works well when I have so much to say and don’t want to lose anything. Great post. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!

love this. I am sadly a typer but I wish I could use my calligraphy pens and my blue Papermate pens all the time and have good handwriting (or printing), I’m too efficiently fast, but not thorough enough!!!!!:(

I have a very similar process. There is an intimacy to handwriting that is completely lost in typing and I sorely miss it when I am forced by time constraints and convenience to type exclusively. However, my mind works so much faster than my hands, and therefore I find my written ideas can skip around a bit more, which is both an advantage and disadvantage in hindsight.

Your metaphor is so great, love it(so much that I wish that I had come up with it myself)! And to answer your question : I think we all need a little bit of both.. Sometimes I type, sometimes I write by hand, depending on my mood.

Stumbled on this and enjoyed it a lot. I notice that my own handwriting has grown considerably worse, as I spend more time typing — but the movies in the head come out faster and without the intermediary of cramping hand, pen/paper interface issues, etc, otherwise I couldn’t keep up with the story! If you’re interested in another view on the importance of handwriting, I’d love your thoughts on this post: http://beherethen.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/334/

I keep a notepad and pen in my nightstand for writing whatever comes to mind after I’ve already gone to bed – from grocery lists to ideas for my book, or recipes. The rest of the time I type but I do hate what the computer screens do to my eyes.

Yes. Your analogy totally makes sense, and really drew me into why I choose to handwrite things that I want to do well. My problem with typing is that I often don’t really focus on what I’m doing. Especially when I’m typing directly to my blog. I alternate between tabs, forget what I’m doing and return to what I’m doing and I usually end up editing the hell out of it.

If the story idea is already in my head, then I can type on the computer and be productive. However, if I am struggling with a scene, then I usually write longhand. Your handwriting sounds beautiful. My handwriting is vertical, angular, and screams utilitarian to me.

I love this post….. I used to be all about hand writing my “To Do” lists. This would consist of literally carrying a folded piece of paper in my pocket everywhere I went and jotting down new ideas. Recently with advances in technology, I was able to go paper free with my notes and schedule. It was a hard transition at first but I feel I am much more efficient and of course more eco friendly now.

I tend to do scribbled handwritten notes and then type up a draft of whatever I’m writing. Handwriting just feels more personal to me, so writing notes is really helpful for achieving a better final draft.

I loved the analogy! I find this dilemma, of pen vs keyboard, much more challenging when learning new languages; the pen favours the new curves and structure of letters more than the mind does finding their exact buttons on the keyboard.

Fantastic comment about virgin paper and the despoiler which is the pencil. I do fancy Latin, but haven’t taken a class in over a dozen years, so I cheated and googled the quote. I believe it means, “This man has found the fourth state of matter.” (A quote from “One Hundred Years of Solitude”?)

I have horrible handwriting, so I like that I can actually express myself quickly through typing. Computers are fine, and I don’t miss CorrecTape, but I miss the “thunk-thunk-thunk-ding!” of the IBM tanks learned to type on 20 years ago.

Right now I am writing a lot of letters in therapy and I was told to hand write them for some of the same reasons you mentioned, mainly the time it takes and being thoughtful with how I express myself.

It’s good to know that others swing both ways when writing. I hand write my notes, my practice writing, and a of smaller stuff. But when it comes to bigger stuff like novels I feel my hand can’t write fast enough to keep up with my thoughts and so I switch it over to typing.

Greetings ! I run a blog and write articles as well. But I never do handwriting, I always type it. But if it’s still in the form of idea. I usually just keep it in my head. A careless manner I think. Because we can lose our ideas if we just keep it in our heads.

I always type because I find handwriting anything is too slow, and I write a lot for my job. It’s easier to share writing across many platforms when it’s typed, and you never have to put up with people’s bad handwriting. Plus, I don’t want to waste the paper.

Lord, you have said everything I feel about writing or typing. I struggle with both and what will get the result I want. Writing with a fountain pen seems sensual and unhurried, till I am hunched over my notebook, scribbling frantically, trying to hold onto that thought. And typing is a powerful force. Typing with a typewriter thumps and pounds through your fingers as you pound the keys, like playing a symphony on a piano.

I have always thought there was “therapy” in writing your thoughts out on paper instead of just typing them. I remember when I first moved to a new city, before I started making friends, I would go to a restaurant alone, and write letters back home. Soon I made friends in the new place to eat with, and of course later came e-mail, text messaging and Facebook to keep in touch with friends back home. One day recently I realized that I actually missed going to restaurants alone and writing real handwritten letters back home, so I did just that. As much as I love the new technology, I have to say I enjoyed the simplicity of a notebook and pen and a dinner table.

I wrote myself a list too. I never thought the day would come when I preferred the convenience of cut and paste and insert functions over a biro, but there you have it, it’s progress and there’s never any going back. Not for me, anyhow.

hey boy with a hat..
i write and am more of a paper and pencil person but Your detailing of the mad rush you feel on a keyboard was thrilling… av a few programmer friends and only them ‘av i heard talk about a pump as such…
Anyway it was ummazing* to read through your piece.

I will never give up my paper and pen. I always write first drafts longhand and just can’t do the same to a blank screen that I can to a blank piece of paper. I’m convinced there’s something about the part of the brain the different processes (typing and handwriting) use. Handwriting involves actually forming the shapes of the letters and words with your hand, and that movement must register in the brain. Typing is purely mechanical. You hit the keys – you don’t make the symbols/shapes. And you and your muse are not alone – there’s a ‘machine’ in the way.

This was inspired! And inspiring.
I often wish I could handwrite, but broken bones that did not set properly stand in my way. So, I am confined to the keyboard, at least until I build the green machine from Tommyknockers.
Wonderful flowing words.

Refreshing to find that there are others who still write. My mentor, who authored over 30 books, told his writing class to write first. It is more flexible.
I write the first draft, then go through it once before I type and print. And then I go through the type iwith my pencil. Parts to be revised/rewritten or new additions are written on the back of the page or attached. Simple changes of words or order are made on the page itself before all is re-typed again for tne next draft.

Professionally, I write movie reviews. So, in that capacity, I keep a small Moleskine with me to take notes and bulletpoints on the film as I go. Its not always practical to have a laptop with me in theatres. I’ll scribble notes to myself with a moleskine sometimes too, but just to develop later on my Macbook.

I spent too much time drawing growing up, and not near enough time focusing on my handwriting, so even my writing journal appears that its written in a language only the initiated can read. Only now, in my 30’s am I trying to improve my legibility, until that happens, most of my longer form or submitted articles are all done on keyboard; on which I’m extremely proficient.

I rarely handwrite anything, apart from the occasional blogpost if I’m not near a keyboard, but as a rule if it’s fiction; my fingers cannot keep up with my brain. lol Great post. Congrats on getting FP’d!

Handwriting though, i think to make it the way you say, required the proper tools. Myself, I can’t handwrite and feel that way unless i have my proper notebook and my calligraphy pen, then the writing is artwork in and of itself. If I write down my stuff otherwise it feels even less genuine than typing.

beautiful comparison – the act is the same, just a different approach – profound!
love writing by hand but i miss the cut, copy, paste function 😛
to me scribbling and typing are both liberating – but when i want to serenade my work, i use the long hand…
excellent post, loved it!

I haven’t read all the comments, but you have a picture of a manual typewriter. Have you tried this method. Typing on a typewriter has the appeal of typing on a computer, but has the permanence of writing by hand because what you have typed is in the real world and not blips saved in a machine. I used to do some writing with pen and paper for sketching out ideas. I would then turn to the typewriter for a quick and rough first draft. Sometimes I would literally write, “needs more thought,” or “come up with something better,” and so on while on the manual typewriter. Only when I got the entire idea out of my head and typed out would I transcribe the typed pages onto my computer.

THIS POST IS AWESOME!!!! I just wrote my last blog about the journals I’ve written in since I was a young girl. To me- handwriting has always been the best!! When I was a kid, I would dream of ways to invent something that would make my hand write as fast as my brain could think without having to give into something like the keyboard… I don’t write in my journals as often as I used to, but it’s always more theraputic than hacking away at my laptop. Thanks for sharing. Totally writing in the journal tonight 🙂

You had me at the opening sentence 🙂 Great post. You actually did a very balanced job of comparing typing vs handwriting.
I love writing and although I type when I have to, my preference is to write. Also, since I don’t press down on the paper that hard, I prefer a fountain pen that helps me glide across the page, probably as fast as I type. I’ve looked into getting a digital pen that would help save me time as I take notes from client meetings, but can’t seem to let go of my fountain pens.

Handwriting and especially cursive with its unique flourishes seems like such a lost art, only to be found in art classes on Caligraphy or greeting cards. I’ve graded many student papers all written in lower case or worse block letters, It seemed to me that cursive would be so much easier and faster. Now, some elementary schools are seriously considering not teaching cursive as we go increasingly the digital route. It is a sad state of affairs. Handwritten notes are so personal and intimate. Handwriting also seems to facilitate a fluidity of thought that typing doesn’t for me – I rarely have to strike out more than a few words when I write a long essay or a letter. When I type, it seems I’m constantly editing entire phrases and sentences.

I’m the same with writing, I have notebooks full of my script and files filled with saved documents, each serve a purpose and helps me carryout the art of writing. I’m like this with reading too, I love holding a book and reading while feeling the pages and enraptured in one world, I also read online and like being able to flit about different topics, different worlds all melding into the one viewed through my eyes. I like the analogy in the beginning of this piece, made me smile.

Great post – I started out writing by hand in notebooks, and still scribble notes and such on legal pads – I do most of my writing now on my laptop (and save my novels and other notes on an external hard drive), when I’m home, and hand write notes, character development or just random musings in notebooks wherever I go (though jotting down ideas whilst on the subway or bus is probably not the most ideal location).

Reblogged this on Under an Artichoke and commented:
Haha, that’s a doozy of an opener! But I can identify with this. I like handwriting and typing for different reasons—the latter when I have a lot on my mind to sort through, a lot that I just want to get down on paper (or Word, as it were) and organize, and the former when I want to ponder life a bit. When I write a letter by hand, I find my thoughts slowing down to a pace where my pen can more or less keep up.

Reblogged this on anika's adventures and commented:
Definitely an interesting perspective…almost makes sense of my day planner AND blog AND mini notebook AND random scrap papers with doodles, notes, and splattered coffee…

No. No you can’t have them both. Years at my PC have cost me my beautiful handwriting style. It cannot be recovered without unlearning and relearning which is no longer practical. I have added a tablet and a smartphone to make my life more convenient so there is no going back. I mourn the elegant cursive that won he prizes at school and penned the love letters that led to my marriage and its propagation of the species. Is it possible that human life could become extinct without the noble art?

I love your comparison. I am a typer now and have a hard time handwriting for long periods of time. The length of the 3 thank you notes…lame I know, but at least I write them!
I have a question. Was this post reblogged by you? I wondered how it is published in Feb., but you have earlier comments. I would love to pull some of my early unread blogs out!
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!

Thank you so much for your writing, I typewriting up to 6 hours per a day at my working hours, but nevertheless I adore the handwriting, I used to copy my homework again and again in my summer vocation.

Well written! I like your way of thinking. I know exactly what you feel. When I was younger, I used to hand write all my articles. For me it was a better therapy than typing it. Maybe because it’s much slower than typing, you can actually pour your heart in it. Sometimes it also feels like the words have more meaning when you handwrite them! But typing is faster and gives us the opportunity to share our articles with the rest of the world. So, if handwriting is making love and typing is sex: You need both! 😀

Extremely well-written piece. Your insights into the merits of handwriting versus technology as a means of expression touches bases on all levels. Personally, I consider handwriting and writing instruments, to paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi, “an elegant means of expression for a more civilized age.”

As an artisan who makes writing instruments and one who has a degree in journalism, I favor the pen because a lot more than ink gets put onto a piece of paper via penmanship. A little bit of your soul flows out with the ink, too.

Sometimes you can literally read between the lines how a person feels by subtle changes in their handwriting. For example, a sudden shift into bolder pen strokes usually indicates a topic about which the writer feels quite passionate. You can’t garner that from text on a screen.

I’m not advocating we all abandon our keyboards in favor of writing instruments. In fact, I’ve grown quite attached to my Mac. Rather, I think we should appreciate the merits of each and use either of them as the situation warrants.

BTW, for someone for whom English is not their native language, you express yourself flawlessly. Your command of the English language is more professional than a lot of us whose only language is English.

Anyone who has to learn English–and learns it well–should be given some kind of an award. English is maddening to learn/understand especially when speaking and/or listening to someone speak it. We have so many words that sound alike but are spelled differently. The words “fore” “four” and “for” come quickly to mind.

Do keep writing. Whether you believe it or not (and I hope you do), you are a gifted writer. Effective or expressive writing is more than the proper spelling and grammar. Rather, it’s being able to capture the essence of your subject and and put it onto paper or electronic form for others to enjoy.

When I write, it’s like am having a foreplay with a fair maiden, the girl of my fantasy. I laugh at the silly acts my next line of words make my fave character commit; then,on deeper reflection, I decide not to make my fave character that stupid. I strike through the last sentence. The sight of that line over the words makes me feel like Leonado Dicaprio. And when my story is finally completed, penning the “full stop” makes me catch an orgasm.

Typing is like bargaining with a call girl : you just want to get done with! Sometimes starring at the blank white sheet could even get you out of the mood. And when you force yourself to write something, anything, your work ends up as a “quickie.”

I like what you say here. I have actually been trying to bring back the old fashioned practice of writing and mailing letters. I learned some interesting things. 1) Like you say, handwriting is more personal 2) when I receive a hand-written letter, I appreciate not only the content, but the fact that someone else took the time to write the letter and post it; there’s more to appreciate than there is in the case of a quick email or text message; more time and effort went into it 3) my hand ached after half a page; pondering this, I realized that we just don’t really write anymore … mostly just lists and short notes; our muscles have forgotten how to write longhand for any significant amount of time.

Hi Vincent – I have found your site after it was referenced in the WordPress News. I really like your writing style and have enjoyed going through your posts. Considering the relatively short time you have been writing in English you have done amazingly well. I agree wholeheartedly with your comparison of typing and handwriting. I would love to be able to handwrite better but my handwriting is terrible and my hand hurts if I write for more than a minute or two. I also struggle to read my handwriting when looking back at notes. I guess I should slow down and put more effort into forming the letters. Years of typing on a keyboard mean that I can type much faster than hand write plus is can be read easily afterwards. But, I guess it the the words that really matter and not the method that they are out on the page. Anyway – keep up the good work. I am sure that you will achieve your goals! Best wishes – Rob

I wish I could hand-write… I love the process, the nice pen, or the sharp pencil, or the smooth ballpoint/fibre tip… the white paper, the elegant artistic lines… but my handwriting is worse than a spider who has fallen into an ink-pot… it looks terrible, and sometimes even I can’t read it… so sadly it is the keyboard for me.

Your writing is simple, clear yet powerful and, as a result, it feels like poetic prose. You describe my thoughts about the process of writing as I would have done it, and from the comments I’ve read, it seems others can identify with you. This was my first time visiting your blog and I’ve enjoyed the visit. I’ll return for more.

I have just reawakened the love of writing that I had as a child but have not allowed time for as a grown-up. At first I was worrying about where I could go and write if not at home, where there was a good wifi signal, where I could plug my laptop in… Then a dear friend bought me a beautiful hardback book with butterflies on the front and it all fell into place- I can take a pen and a book wherever I go, I need not be constrained by a power supply! So now I write anywhere and everywhere. I wrote a blog post in the hairdressers yesterday 🙂 I also find the typing up process very therapeutic, and forces me to go over what I’ve written with a critical eye.
I will now be following your fantastic blog!

I was just having a break from my writing and I’m so glad I found your post. I read it, looking at my old notepad with all those pages written on the underground and then on my word document and I couldn’t agree more. Also, the thing I’ve noticed about handwriting in public places: people stare at me as if they wonder who am I? A serious writer or someone who pretends to be creative and does this ‘show off’ thing.
Anyway I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone ….writing about writing in such a nice, can I say- intimate way? 🙂 I love it!

Schools in California no longer teach cursive. The next generation won’t even understand your post.:) Like so many others, I enjoy writing parts of my manuscript as it gives my brain time to think. Don’t forget about doodling . . . now that’s the best.

I came across your blog through “Freshly Pressed” and I liked your writing and having read a few other blog posts here, I hope you continue your work and have great success. Looking forward to reading your future writings.

I’m definitely a hand-writer at heart. For me, pen and paper tends to be a lot more straight-forward, comfortable, and effortless for taking notes and/or general “fluid”, creative writing type things.
That said, I also don’t mind writing alá word-processor; it just doesn’t come as naturally as hand-writing does, which in my experience (and in my observations) sometimes hinders my thought-process or my “creative flow” to an extent.
Needless to say, in choosing which “tool” I like more ultimately depends on the subject matter at hand – if the writing pertains to a business letter or a haiku; a sudden thought that only has time to be jotted down in ink at risk of losing it in the next instance or if it’s an official contract write-up of some sort …,obviously, my preferences change due to the circumstance.

But yeah, if I had to choose one over the other, my choice would be hand-writing.
😀

Reblogged this on XO, Anna and commented:
I’m definitely a hand-writer at heart. For me, pen and paper tends to be a lot more straight-forward, comfortable, and effortless for taking notes and/or general “fluid”, creative writing type things.
That said, I also don’t mind writing alá word-processor; it just doesn’t come as naturally as hand-writing does, which in my experience (and in my observations) sometimes hinders my thought-process or my “creative flow” to an extent.
Needless to say, in choosing which “tool” I like more ultimately depends on the subject matter at hand – if the writing pertains to a business letter or a haiku; a sudden thought that only has time to be jotted down in ink at risk of losing it in the next instance or if it’s an official contract write-up of some sort …,obviously, my preferences change due to the circumstance.

But yeah, if I had to choose one over the other, my choice would be hand-writing.

Handwriting for me is kind of like curling up under a cozy fleece with a good book and a cup of peppermint tea. I adore it. My thoughts flow better and if I scratch something out, it’s not gone forever. Also, it’s less of a strain on my eyes. Typing at length tends to give me a headache. Even when I turn my brightness all the way down.
What I don’t like about it is typing what I’ve handwritten, especially when I accidentally write 9,000 words.

I write every day. . . in my notebook. Handwriting. It is how the muse works through my hands. I blog maybe once a month lately. I think it is because of what you say. Typing is cold. Impersonal. Too fast. I like slow. Interesting analogy. . .

back in college i lived in a debris hut and typed out all of my papers on an old manual typewriter. it disturbed the animals, but i loved having to pound out each letter with force, and my tendency to wordiness was greatly curtailed by having no “delete” key. I had to think everything through before beginning. Recently a friend and I brought out our highschool correspondence to each other and reread it. These colorful pages of longhand writing were so vulnerable and filled with painful honesty and emotion. Now that I write primarily by computer, i don’t think things through as well. I am less emotional. come to think of it that is true for each of my technologies: cell phone, GPS, facebook. Less emotional, More impulsive. Less thought out.. Uh-oh.

When I was young(er) I had to write longhand because I had no typewriter and personal computers didn’t exist yet 😉 Today the bulk of my writing is on my computer, and my favorite writing tool is my iPad and Logitech keyboard. I still carry around notebooks, though, for those times when I’m away from my computer. But I have two insurmountable barriers to writing longhand for more than a few minutes: (1) my writing hand cramps and becomes very painful; and by extension (2) my handwriting becomes illegible. It’s frustrating because I enjoy the simplicity of putting pen/pencil to paper and not needing any special tools. Carrying around a notebook and pen makes me feel like I’m always prepared for writing, even if I can’t write for long.

I enjoy this post and look forward to reading more of your blog. I wish you much success with your writing!

I learned to type on my mother’s 1960-something Smith Corona. As a result, I’ve destroyed the keyboard of every computer I’ve owned because of the force I use to bang on the keys.

Thanks to years of paper writing as an English major in college, followed by several jobs requiring me to write all the time – news reporting, advertising copy writing, technical writing – I’ve developed a double case of carpal tunnel syndrome, and as a result of all of those years of using a computer, I’ve become a lazy hand writer. However, I still find joy in the physical process of writing. From grocery lists to throwing down ideas for a blog post or storyline, my hand still adores the sensation of putting a writing implement to paper and letting the words flow.

Thank you for making me think, and congratulations on being “Freshly Pressed”!

Reblogged this on Confessions of an Internet Addict and commented:
This is a man who knows my thoughts too well. On handwriting, I get the more luxurious feel of planning slowly. With typing, it’s all about speed, all about getting those ideas out before they fade. I feel like someone else gets it.

I like this post a lot. I was forced to reunite pen with paper last year when my laptop died and I couldn’t afford a computer to replace it. I forced myself to continue writing in ugly exercise books. It seemed appropriate to focus on the 100 word story for convenience. Suddenly I became addicted and was writing at least one per day. I found that my editing skills improved dramatically and I had a space to offload the millions of ideas that were cramping my brain! Thats how my blog started so i am very thankful! There’s nothing like the smell of fresh ink in the morning to keep you inspired…!

I’m laughing about the invisible gift you are going to send me and I forgot what I wanted to say. I like to type things out. When I read other blogs I often wind up asking them if their post was originally written and the typed up or a store thought that was then typed up or just typed.

Personally, I used to enjoy prowling the bars & coffee shops in the wee hours of the morning, and writing (hand printing) about what I say, dreamed about, or aspired to. As the decades have passed, my printing has become ever more illegible, so I type virtually everything. The only time I pick up a pen or pencil is for in class tests and quizzes….
*** May Peace Come Soon ***

Your witty way of getting me to comment made me lol , which rarely happens as compared to the use of those wretched letters.
You literally just wrote what I was discussing with one of my friends a few days ago. A part of me feels like I’m cheating when I type , but my fingers tend to hurt from endless scribbling. And my handwriting royally sucks . Indeed , writing with a pen and paper is just pure and raw which gets you a self satisfactory feeling once you’re done with it . Do you think I should choose , or continue with my affairs ? 😛
( Love your short stories by the way. They always make me smile 🙂 )

I was taking notes in class one day and the woman next to me asked what language I was writing in.

I write in English (and sometimes Spanish) but that day was pure English. And it looked like a lost language. I love handwriting and I normally do it with a fountain pen. And my second weapon of choice is the pencil. Then a gel roller and finally a ball point. I don’t think many can read my handwriting but I only write for me to read so I’m fine with that.

Reblogged this on Andrew Toynbee's very own Blog and commented:
I make no apologies for reblogging this post – this writer packs so many thought-provoking ideas into one page that it’s hard to ignore. If you don’t already follow him…well, I will leave that decision to you.

I tend to type more than handwrite my writings. And only reason why I do that is due to having weak hands and arms, which started a few months ago. After handwriting a couple sentences my hand hurts and I can no longer put words onto paper. I prefer pen and paper but it is physically impossible.

Some points. Good for you.
I am adapting to typing also. I get idea both ways. In fact, I flow better typing. I find it easier correcting mistakes and looking over things I have written more easily with writing. Sketches tend to be typed for me. I started writing first, but now I am a typist I am adapting to typing also. I get idea both ways. In fact, I flow better typing. I find it easier correcting mistakes and looking over things I have written more easily with writing. Sketches tend to be typed for me. I started writing first, but now I am a typist I am adapting to typing also. I get idea both ways. In fact, I flow better typing. I find it easier correcting mistakes and looking over things I have written more easily with writing. Sketches tend to be typed for me. I started writing first, but now I am a typist I am adapting to typing also. I get idea both ways. In fact, I flow better typing. I find it easier correcting mistakes and looking over things I have written more easily with writing. Sketches tend to be typed for me. I started writing first, but now I am a typist major.

I am more precise and economical when I write 1st drafts by hand, and it’s a kind of meditation. Handwriting is for figuring and sorting thoughts. Typing is for editing and polishing. Initial typing makes me verbose and rambling.
Really enjoyed this post. It’s funny how the difference in physicality of putting down words changes the way we cobble them together.

handwriting. mostly. unless I have to type.
even my blog notes are written on paper first and then typed in.
I am taking pride in my handwriting as I spent many hours as a child learning it.
although I would love to have an old typing machine

I use a computer for simple, transactional writing. I use a fountain pen when I want to *write*, such as a poem, a personal letter, or a story. Writing with a pen takes time, and a modicum of preparation. I can hurl my laptop onto a table and be writing as soon as it crashes onto the table in the cafe. If I were to do that with my pen and paper it would be an entirely different story. But then, I am not a “digital native”. I work in Celsius, I sense in Fahrenheit. I measure in centimetres, and think in inches. I learned to type on a manual portable typewriter, but I compute with a ThinkPad. I write with a fountain pen because it is what I grew up with and is as habitual as my morning coffee.

The definition of a writer is that “a writer writes.” Otherwise, they are just dreamers. The choice of method and media pale into insignificance if you don’t have anything to say.

I always start out with handwriting. Sometimes I just do the first draft and any notes on where I want to go with a piece. But, more often I go through two or three drafts before I start typing or transcribing.

You’re right about handwriting not being fast enough to put down all of my thoughts, but I often use the right part of my paper to record notes and ideas for later.

My biggest problem with writing by hand is that I don’t keep the same notebook with me at all times. I often have pieces of the same story/novella/novel in three or more different places. I’m organizing them into loose-leaf binders now, but it’s a headache.

Love this❤ I also enjoy both. Somehow I find handwriting more connected to my creative self. The feel of the pen as it glides on the page and the convenience of a journal over a typewriter. It is easier to edit my work on the typewriter. Maybe because I wasn’t born into the iPad iPhone age. Also the pen & paper are more affordable for the starving artist😄 I am thankful I can use both.

To me typing is not having sex; though I understand what you mean wholeheartedly. For me lovemaking is both unless there is a pessure to perform that feels more sex-oriented than the cool tips of a pen or keyboard. Also I love handwriting a lot; I dont want calligraphy to be ever be lost.

Handwriting has always been my technique! I’m still a high school student so it has always been easier for me to pull out one of my various writing notebooks and write away while the teacher drags on and on about some boring subject. I always end up typing everything I deem worthy, but I don’t really trust my laptop like my notebook. I’ve had a few viruses on this old thing that caused me to have to do a full system restore and lose all of my work, but luckily I always have a flash drive and about a dozen notebooks for a back up!

In response to your opening comment—and little else, I might add—I would have to say that you’re simply using the wrong keyboard, my friend! 😉

More seriously, however, I am a typist when it comes to writing. I suffer terrible mental block when I put a pen in my hand. Thoughts don’t flow naturally if at all. Most of my writing has taken place in front of a typewriter or computer, and as such, that is where the “magic” happens.

Sticking with your initial analogy, for me, when typing, I know what buttons to push when, editing is neat and clean, and phrasing can be tailored just so. In the end, everyone involved enjoys the experience. When writing things out by hand…well, it might work in a pinch, but it’s sloppy, and the editing is a difficult and ugly process. Geting the work to final production quality is a brutal process more akin to butchery than art, and when it’s all done, I’m not sure anyone gets any true pleasure out of it.

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I am torn between the two. Typing is definitely easier to read! Handwriting is great to let the feelings out ,like therapy but eventually it looks like chicken writing. Writing makes me impatient, not fast enough.Thus, confusion. But writing in this tech age is important, or the art dies.

I have always taken handwriting over typing. But your post have made me realize that both the things have their own part to play.
few points were so relatable like handwriting let your exact thoughts to make their way and typing gives you exact words to portray them.
Hence an intellect yet philosophical post.

I prefer handwriting. I started writing a journal when I learnt to write and I never stopped. I love to hand write I smile while doing it.
I started typing my stories because it was easier to send them or show them but I still start them on paper and I have all the ideas on a notebook that travels with me everywhere.

Interesting post. I do find myself to feel my description and dialogue are better when I hand write, but I have experienced a spontaneous free thought process when typing. I usually type (into my computer) my first drafts of my manuscripts. I print out each chapter then hand write all updates and edits. This is where the body of my work really comes to life.

Really enjoyed this article. It is not a subject that I have found in any blogs. You have won over a new follower with your writing.
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My handwriting is not all that hot, but I use it to jot down ideas. I will grab any sort of paper if something comes to mind, and keep a notebook in the car too. I type my blog posts of course, and type up some of my ideas so that I can print them out, as well as save them digitally.

I have sort of a pen and pencil fetish, so will probably never totally abandon writing by hand. I love the feel of the utensil between my fingers. Since it’s there, I write or doodle with it.